Reflection; Dhanyaa

When i first found out my group members for social engagement, i was really shocked and afraid because i did not know any of them where else my friends on the other hand were lucky enough to be grouped with members that they knew. We had a few meetings to discuss about the location and budget for the activity which took some time to finalize as we did not exactly get our first options. The night before i left to SMK Shah Alam, i was anxious on whether or not we would be able to carry out the program effectively as we were not experienced to carry out such activity like this to high school students. I was also worried that i could not get along with my members in carrying out the activities as well.

When we reached SMK Shah Alam, everything changed for the better as my doubts were starting to lessen. Everyone was getting along so well and were helping each other make the program a success and run smoothly. Within the first 24 hours, i could already feel some real friendships building (some more than the other). We were assigned as facilitators to help the students throughout the program ‘youth attack’. I was really happy with the group assigned to me as the students were really cooperative, supportive and full of energy. They were very excited and had so much fun carrying out the activities organised by us. We had slots such as interview stimulation where we carried out interviews for the students are through this activity, we could actually see that many of the students have lack of confidence in themselves. They also are very unsure about what they want to do and the path for them to do so. After carrying out this slot, i truly understand how important it is for the early exposure of career and studying paths as well as interview tips for the high school students as they will soon be applying for matriculation, college and form six. I can proudly say that this program has also helped me build by confidence in communication when talking to students as well as the teachers. There are many experiences that i have gained which includes being a mentor/guide to the students as well as sharing my experiences to them which i never knew would be a big help to the students. This program has also taught us discipline as we as the facilitators have to be on time for every activity so that the program will run smoothly with no interference and the students will not have to wait. I was truly happy to see the faces of the students on the last day of the event as they were all really happy with the outcome and have build friendships with the other facilitators.

After the program ended, i felt really satisfied with the outcome of our program and could not have asked for better group members to work with. It was truly a success. We did not leave SMK Shah Alam with nothing, we came back a better version of ourselves. I am very thankful to University Malaya for giving me this opportunity in participating and conducting such an event and being able to help the society. I wish i am given the chance once again to participate in more social engagement activities to help contribute my knowledge, skills and time to the society for a better future. Last but not least, i really pray and hope that our friendships that we have build throughout this program will remain forever. Thank you all for making this a truly memorable experience for me.